befehlen

\bəˈfeːlən\

/\bəˈfeːlən\/ verb

The verdict

“befehlen” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Commander, ordonner.

Corpus desk

Index FR-befehlen · befehlen · French

befehlen · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "B" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for befehlen
PropertyValue
Headwordbefehlen
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\bəˈfeːlən\
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « befehlen » en français

befehlenreste hors des 100.000 mots français les plus fréquents, dans la longue queue du vocabulaire technique, archaïque ou rare, là où le doute d'orthographe frappe.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

befehlen is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed \bəˈfeːlən\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Commander, ordonner.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for befehlen in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular French conventions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is befehlen, spelled B-E-F-E-H-L-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Commander, ordonner.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how befehlen appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Die unbestimmte Unruhe unter der Menge auf der Esplanade des Forts Saint-Jean hatte ganz besonders einen der Zuschauer ergriffen, der offenbar die Einfahrt des Schiffes in den Hafen nicht erwarten konnte; er sprang in eine kleine Barke und befahl, dem »Pharao« entgegenzurudern, den er gegenüber der Anse de la Réserve erreichte.
  2. »Lassen Sie diesen Menschen suchen, mein Herr!« befahl der König dem Polizeiminister. »Denn wenn der General Quesnel, der uns in diesem Augenblick so nützlich gewesen wäre, das Opfer eines Meuchelmordes wurde, wie ich zu glauben geneigt bin, so will ich, daß die Täter, sie mögen Bonapartisten sein oder nicht, hart bestraft werden.«

Synonyms

Antonyms

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "befehlen"?
"befehlen" is spelled B-E-F-E-H-L-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is \bəˈfeːlən\.
What does "befehlen" mean?
As a verb, "befehlen" means: Commander, ordonner.
How do you pronounce "befehlen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "befehlen" is \bəˈfeːlən\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "befehlen" come from?
"befehlen" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list